Obasanjo backs competition in Cable TV market

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for stiff competition among operators of Cable Television Network.

Obasanjo spoke in his Abeokuta, Ogun State Hilltop at the weekend when a firm, Montage Cable Network presented him with its decoder, thus making him the first person to subscribe to the network.

The former president lamented the monopoly in the cable television network business with its attendant hike in price of the services rendered. He said when there is competition, consumers would have the power to bargain.

According to him, a market where there is a monopoly is not good for the economy, saying that he was happy that Montage Cable Network has entered the satellite cable transmission to break the monopoly in the market and afford consumers the opportunity to make choices.

Obasanjo drew an analogy, using the traditional market system. He said: “In our normal way, you don’t go to the market and say there is only one garri seller. You don’t go to the market and say there is only one yam seller; there must be plenty of them and then you must be able to bargain.

“For me, the beauty of market in our traditional way is the ability to bargain. Thank you very much (Montage) for giving us the market,” he said, while endorsing the new cable network.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Bamidele Adetunji said the network would serve as alternative to DSTV, but not to displace anybody from the market, adding that this alternative is qualitative and affordable as monthly subscription is pegged at N5,000 not minding the number of channels the cable network would have in the future.

According to him, Montage Cable Network would kick off with 36 channels cutting across news, sports, African movies, foreign movies, baby television, animal kingdom, cartoons, among several others. He said that it’s decoder is small and portable and with time, the cable would increase its stations to 60, but that the subscription price would still be the same.